Preparing samples for plan view transmission electron microscopy generally requires the use of focused ion beam (FIB) or standard chemical etching. Standard FIB sample preparation is site specific and allows a single component of a film stack within a semiconductor device to be selected for analysis, but it suffers from sample thickness variations which limit the viewing area of the sample. Standard chemical etching is only slightly site specific, and has thickness variations that are not as severe as FIB sample preparation. With standard chemical etching, however, components from film stacks within a semiconductor device are difficult to separate, and the region surrounding the sample area is often very thin leading to mechanical support problems and a possible loss of the sample. Both standard FIB milling and standard chemical etching allow for analysis of a very limited area of the sample. Accordingly, current techniques for sample preparation for transmission electron microscopy may be unsatisfactory in many applications.